Israeli officials have criticized ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran “a stupid idea,” saying he should not share his personal views with others.

In his first public appearance since leaving office in early January, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Addressing the Hebrew University on Friday, he described the possibility of a future Israeli airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “the stupidest thing I have ever heard.”

Dagan noted that any military strike may prompt a regional war and missile attacks from several fronts on Israel, adding that any attack on Iran would have no advantage for Tel Aviv.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Dagan’s statement was not correct, and that he should not have shared his personal thoughts with everyone, Ynetnews reported.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also said that Dagan should have kept the remarks to himself.

“It is a shame that he made such an unnecessary statement,” Steinitz said.

Another former head of Mossad Dani Yatom, sharing his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s views, said that he personally would not rule out military action against Iran if all other actions are unsuccessful.

Earlier in the month, a source close to prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s group said Israeli fighter jets had conducted drills at a military base in Iraq in order to strike targets inside Iran, Press TV reported.

According to the report, a considerable number of Israeli warplanes, including F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and KC-10 jet fighters, were seen at Al Asad Airbase — the second largest US military airbase in Iraq located in Al Anbar Province.

Based on the report, Iraqi officials had not been notified about the drills conducted in collaboration with the US military.